Cam follower assemblies and yoke roller assemblies are used in many industrial manufacturing and conveying applications. The cam follower assemblies and the yoke roller assemblies each typically include an outer ring disposed around an inner ring with a plurality of rolling elements such as needle rollers disposed in a cavity therebetween. An annular seal is positioned on each axial end thereof, between the inner ring and the outer ring to keep debris from entering the cavity. The seals occupy an axial length of the cam follower assemblies and the yoke roller assemblies.
The size of the cam follower assemblies and yoke roller assemblies are generally limited to a predetermined envelope. For example, the axial length of cam follower assemblies may be limited a length of the cam that the cam follower rides on. The length of the yoke roller may be limited by the distance between yoke arms that the yoke roller is mounted on of on the length of the surface that the yoke roller engages. The length of the rolling elements is limited because of the axial length which the seals occupy. The outside diameter of the cam follower assemblies and the yoke roller assemblies may also be limited to a predetermined size.
Cam follower assemblies and yoke roller assemblies are subject to high loads when used in various applications. The load capacity of the cam follower assemblies and yoke roller assemblies depends on the diameter and length of the rolling elements disposed therein. However efforts to increase the load capacity of the cam follower assemblies and yoke roller assemblies have been plateaued because of the above described size limitations.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for cam follower assemblies and yoke roller assemblies with increased load capacity.